In Kalimantan plants have been collected northeast of the Hutan Kintap Base Camp.

Within Sarawak plants have been collected from the Kuching District in Kuching.

Within Sabah plants have been collected from the Crocker Range along the Keningau to Kimanis road and near the old airstrip near Nabawan.

The habitat has been described as lower montane forest on sandstone, Dipterocarp and Dacrydium forest on white sandy soil with pools of stagnant brown water, Dipterocarp forest on laterite. There is a recording of this species growing on the branches of a Shorea spp (Wood 2001).

The Plants Description

The pseudobulbs cluster along a short rhizome. The pseudobulbs are shaped oblong-ovoid or cylindrical and measure 3-7cm long and 0.4-1.6cm in diameter. The pseudobulbs are covered by 4-5 cataphylls while they are growing. The cataphylls disintegrate into persistent fibres as the pseudobulbs mature. The leaves are petiolate; the petiole measures 4.5-15cm long. The leaf blades are shaped narrowly elliptic, ensiform and have acute apices. The leaf blades measure 19.0-36.0cm long and 1.6-4.6cm wide. The leaves are coriaceous and have 10-15 distinct nerves.

The Inflorescence

The inflorescence is synanthous and grows as the leaves emerge, the inflorescence starts flowering while the leaf still encloses the peduncle. The peduncle is suberect and measures 15.0-30.0cm long. The rachis is decurved to pendent and measures 8.5-28.0cm long. The flowers alternate distichously and are spaced 3.5-6.0mm apart. There are 1-2 appressed non-floriferous bracts at the base of the rachis. The flowers open from the proximal section of the rachis.

The Flowers

The sepals and petals are brownish ochre, orange brown or brownish, pale green suffused with brown. The labellum is dark chocolate brown with a lemon yellow base and lighter coloured margins (Wood 2001). The dorsal sepal is concave, shaped narrowly elliptic and has an acute apex. The dorsal sepal measures 8.2-8.3mm long and 3.0mm wide. The dorsal sepal is three veined and has an entire margin. The lateral sepals are shaped oblong-elliptic and have acute apices. The laterals measure 8.4mm long and 3.0mm wide. The lateral sepals are three veined and have entire margins. The petals are shaped oblong-elliptic or ovate oblong and have acute apices. The petals measure 7.5mm long and 2.5mm wide. The petals are three veined and have entire or sometimes minutely erose margins. The labellum is stipitate to the column foot by a short claw, reflexed, three veined and 3-lobed. The labellum measures 6.5mm long and 2.0mm wide. The labellum has irregular margins. The side lobes are erect, shaped linear-subulate to narrowly triangular and have acute apices. The side lobes are distinctly shorter than the mid-lobe. The mid lobe is gradually reflexed, cuneate at its base, shaped rhomboid and has a triangular-apiculate apex. There are two keels that are not joined at the labellum base and which terminate at the base of the mid-lobe. There is a third less prominent keel that is sometimes divided into two keels. The column is curved at its apex. The column measures 4.0-4.5mm long. The column foot is prominent. The apical hood is prolonged into an oblong shape and has a tridentate or irregularly toothed margin. The stelidia grow upwards from the middle of the column and are shorter than the column apex. The stelidia are subulate, shaped falcate and have acute apices.

Yes, a sweet scent. I have noticed on my plants that the scent is present throughout the day but is stronger during the afternoon.

Flowering Season

Flowering plants have been collected in the wild during April and from October to December. Plants flower during mid-summer in Europe.

Culture

This species has recently found its way into cultivation thanks to Michael Ooi. Plants are in cultivation in South East Asia, Europe and possibly the United States of America. There are plants in cultivation at the National Herbarium in the Netherlands and Bogor Botanical Gardens.

Similar Species

Dendrochilum longifolium

Dendrochilum dewindtianum (see this page for the differences)

Dendrochilum flos-susannae

Other Information

This species differs from Dendrochilum longifolium by the flower colour, larger flowers and differently aligned keels on the labellum (Wood 2001).

Schlechter wrote that this species was similar to Dendrochilum longifolium (Schlechter 1911)

The epithet means sharp lobe and is in reference to the shape of the labellum (Wood 2001).